Hunt Saboteurs pledge to end illegal hare hunts

The Hunt Saboteur Association (HSA) is broadening its visual identity. Alongside its traditional running fox, a new logo now features a running hare. This isn’t just a snazzy design choice, this is a direct message to illegal hunters who think they can hide in the shadows of the countryside.

Brown hares are stunning creatures, but they’ve faced centuries of persecution. Despite a documented decline in their population, hunters continue chasing and killing them for leisure. Most of these hunts sit under the British Hound Sports Association. They use the same tired ‘trail hunting’ smokescreen they use for foxes. Or, in order to bypass the 2005 ban, they often hunt hares under the guise of hunting rabbits.

Stopping the cruelty, once and for all

Hare hunting is particularly vicious, as we have previously reported. And it involves three main types of hunt, all of which are incredibly cruel.

These are harriers in which the hares are hunted by staff on horseback. Then there’s hunts with beagles and basset hounds, where the canines will hunt them through scent and the huntsmen are on foot. Lastly, we have with greyhounds and lurchers where the dogs are used for illegal coursing and gambling.

The HSA has a long and bloody history of standing between these bloodthirsty huntsmen and their prey. The first sab of a hare hunt took place during the 1965/66 season against the Eton College Beagles. Since then, sabs have faced arrest and serious injury to shut down events like the Waterloo Cup.

The tide is turning on these illegal hare hunts. The HSA has already sabbed the Alston Hare Week and the Northumberland Beagling festival out of existence. Hunts are folding or merging in an attempt to save themselves from oblivion. They are an ever-shrinking group, driven underground by the tireless work of the HSA.

You guys really need to read more about what the HSA has done to save many lives. I suggest you get your hands on “Sabotage – The Story of the Hunt Saboteurs Association.”

The fight continues, for all

The HSA has worked tirelessly for foxes. We have seen them leading the fight against fox hunting, and this new logo sends a clear and concise message to hare hunter: We are coming for you next.

The HSA won’t stop until every single hunt is consigned to history. As long as there are hunters in the field, the sabs will be there to stop them.

The new logo symbolises a new pledge, that no species is forgotten, and no hunt will go unchallenged.

And if you want to help them achieve this, whether through donations or wildlife advocacy, visit their website. 

Featured image via the Canary